Do you find people continuously giving you “the look” when you walk your dog? Does your dog tend to be a bit of a “cujo” on-leash? Do you wish that you could have professional photos with your dog but think, “there is no way in hell we could make it through a photo session out in public.” Guess what? Welcome to MY world! I can empathize and we CAN get beautiful photos of you and your dog – I promise!
1. Safety
Your dog’s safety and the safety of everyone around comes first! Dog’s are on leash. I bring a 12 foot long line to photo sessions. The majority of images I take are with either my 135 mm or 200mm lens, giving your dog as much space as needed!
“But Darlene, I get that! My dog turns into a psycho pup in public! His bubble of space is huge! Clearly we can’t get this done!”
Read on….
2. Location Is Key
I promise we can get beautiful photos of you and your pet right in your own backyard! 90% of the pictures you see of my dog, Kota, are taken in our fenced in yard. She is most comfortable right at home! I can let her run off leash in our yard. We have trees and random flowers through the year. Autumn is my favorite. We have conservation land behind our house so lot of trees with colorful warm tones. This image of Kota was taken last fall – we are patiently waiting this year!
Another option that has few distractions for your dog is a vineyard. A few vineyards I’ve done photos at are Broken Creek in Shrewsbury, MA, Chamard Vineyards in Clinton, CT, Alfalfa Farm Winery in Topsfield, MA, and my favorite that is closest to me, Zorvino Vineyards in Sandown, NH. Vineyards give dogs a lot of space and usually the only people we run into are the grounds keepers, and that is at a good distance.
3. Time
Another option is getting up with your dog at the crack of dawn for a beach sunrise. It’s a peaceful time of day. I promise you that it’s worth it! The best time of year is winter. It might be a bit chilly, but I promise you it’s worth waking up for! Some beaches are quieter than others. My 2 favorite sunrise spots are Wallis Sands in Rye, NH, on the rocks, and Plum Island Beach in Newburyport.
What do you think? Are you ready to schedule your photo session experience? I promise you it will be fun and stress free! It’s all about making sure our dog’s are comfortable. I’ve had a “reactive” dog myself for 10 years – patience is my “super power”. Let’s create something beautiful to display in your home that you can smile when you look at it every day.
Thank you so much for stopping by this week! This blog post is part of professional pet photographer blog circle. Click on the link at the end of each post to follow along. Next up is Angela Schneider of Big White Dog Photography in Spokane, WA, giving reactive dogs their space – you will love both Angela’s writing and imagery – she’s genius!
Have a great weekend!
Love the explanation on your style of photographing challenging dogs. The photos you showed are great. Love the colors.
Some great options for your clients! The photograph of Koto last fall is stunning!